3 lessons from Flow Sessions Artists on AI and creativity
Collaboration with creatives has been a part of our approach to Flow since day one, and in September, we kicked off a pilot program called Flow Sessions. We welcomed a group of talented artists from different backgrounds and levels of technical experience to explore how our AI filmmaking tool Flow could evolve their creative workflows. We offered unlimited access to Flow as well as mentorship and workshops and these artists have developed incredible short films over the past two months.
As our first Flow Sessions cohort comes to an end, here are the three major lessons learned from collaborating with this group:
1. Embrace a director’s mindset
Creative tools are only as powerful as the artists that wield them; with any project, intention and vision matter. The artists harnessed Flow with a director’s mindset, focusing on story, character development, cinematography and being open to surprises as they unfolded. “The magic happens when you bring your own vision, art direction, storytelling and point of view to guide [Flow] — that’s where something truly original emerges,” one of the participating artists, Leilanni Todd, says. “It’s less about replacing creativity and more about expanding the ways you can express it.”
2. Lean into curiosity — technical know-how isn’t a barrier
“The people shaping what’s next aren’t the ones who know the most — they’re the ones brave enough to experiment,” another Flow Sessions Artist, Alex Naghavi, says. Our artists came from all levels of technical experience, but we found that the throughline for their success was curiosity and willingness to try something new. "This is one of those rare moments in creative history when no one has all the answers,” Alex adds. “Lean into that uncertainty.”
3. Tell your untold stories
Flow Sessions gave artists the chance to tell stories that felt deeply personal, and ones they’d been thinking about for years. For example, artist Chris Carboni had recorded a series of interview conversations with his grandmother several years ago, before she passed. In one of them, they talk about scary movies and she delightfully (and loosely) recounts details of her favorites. By juxtaposing high-end visuals with humorous storytelling, the film became a precious digital heirloom that captures the love within their relationship. Artist Katie Luo also reflected on family relationships in her visual poem “The Sun Returned.” Inspired by her recent visit with her grandparents in Taiwan, Katie used Flow to transform real photographs from her trip into dreamlike scenescapes that explore the nuances of generational love across cultural and language barriers.
We recently kicked off our second cohort of Flow Sessions and can’t wait to see what these artists dream up, and where they take Flow from here. Try Flow at flow.google.
